MM Blues setup Ireland

[eoinmcmahon]

Hi all

I just bought a used MM blues Gtr...

I play  slide/fingerstyle  and the action at first fret seems really low to me..its 2mm  from top of fret to bottom of low E  string 

and 4MM  at 12th fret

There were 12/13's on it when I got it and I put on Newtone 15's..one by one so as not to disturb the cone setup..

I don't want to shimmy up the nut for more action without knowing if the neck/cone/break angle set up is right..

Does anyone know of a resonator luthier in Ireland ?

Thanks

Eoin

[Pickers Ditch]

Those figures are about what I've got on mine and my Triolian.
I have no problem playing slide/fingerstyle on it - but, then again, I'm not Michael Messer and I'm very much a beginner.

[bonzo]

Hi Eion, the action sounds like it's about right to me, certainly wouldn't have thought it should be lower. What problem are you having?
Best wishes to you all, John

[eoinmcmahon]

Hi
Thanks for replies....
I see guys playing same guitar on youtube and have a lovely almost nasal tone at times which I cant
seem to get ...also strings seem to bottom out against the fretboard unless I use a REALLY light touch .. am using steel and home made Harveys Bristol cream Blue glass slide..have ordered a
Reverand willys ceramice slide so maybe its to do with that ?
The tone I refer to can be heard here at 1.05

Thanks

[Pickers Ditch]

Michael will be along in a minute but my tuppence worth is that you do need a very light touch and angle of the slide has an affect, too.

I tend to use glass and bronze slides - tried bone, tried ceramic, tried steel but there is no easy way out or short cut

The only way I found was to practise, practise, practise using different slides and I still get it wrong sometimes (make that a big sometimes).

[eoinmcmahon]

Thanks PD Ill take all that on board..I just seem to have no volume on the notes with the very light touch...unless
Im up at 12th fret..

[Michael Messer]

Hi Eoin,

You have been well advised by John and PD.

The setup of a guitar is of course a very personal thing and each player likes it their way. However, your guitar seems to have a good setup for slide, in fact some players would consider it a little high.

I agree with the advice you have already received. A set of 15/56, or 13/56 and lots of practice. If after a while you are still having problems, come back and we will discuss what adjustments can be done.

Remember, the higher you go with the strings, the more out of tune the fretted notes will be.

Just do lots of playing and see you you get on. Please don't hesitate to come back if you need more advice.

Shine On
Michael.

[eoinmcmahon]

Thanks Michael Ill keep plugging away as is and see how it goes... I did notice higher fretted notes being off alright

Eoin

[johncodger (George)]

Hi Eoin,

I too have a mm blues which i bought new and I can highly recommend daddyslide.com for metal slides made to your personal specs, I have one made of german silver and because it fits my finger properly I've found that my touch is much more delicate than when using a normal (off the peg so to speak) brass slide and makes a huge difference to the sound.
I also have a glass bottleneck made by fellow member Ian Mcwee (diamondbottlenecks.com) which came with the guitar (thanks Michael...).
I know from experience that having a custom made slide makes a huge difference to my playing and is always worth considering.
I hope this helps...

cheers
G

[davetracey]

Sounds good to me, Eoin. Also a helpful demonstration of a 14 fret MM Blues, which I on the fence about. The other contender being the White Lightning.